Unsure about Umar Gul’s availability at Lord’s: Yawar Saeed
Pakistan’s reverse swing specialist Umar Gul has completely recovered from the stiff hamstring that he suffered during the second Test of the 4 match series at Edgbaston. After recovery, Gul is expected to make the playing XI for the 4th and final Test against England that kicks off today (Thursday) at the home of cricket at Lord’s. The injury ruled Gul out of the third Test match that Pakistan won by 4 wickets which was another historical win for the team under Salman Butt’s inspirational captaincy.
Salman Butt claimed that it would be premature to say anything about Gul’s inclusion in the playing XI for the Lord’s test. He said that nothing could be said for certain but team physio Dale Nyler and the selectors were hopeful about Umar Gul’s fitness. It would come as good news for the team as well as Umar Gul’s fans as it was earlier feared that the bowler was out of the series.
Gul, who just came back from a shoulder injury that kept him away from international cricket for months, has been working hard with team physio http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Dale-c52110 Nyler and trainer David Dwyer to make an early come back.
While the Pakistan team scripted a memorable win against England in the 3rd Test after a 9 year drought, Gul was bowling no effort balls. The exercise was vital to verify if the recovery from the stiff hamstring was quick enough or not. Team trainer David Dwyer was satisfied with Gul’s recovery speed as he told the media that the bowler was looking good.
Both trainer and team physio will observe the pacer before giving their final word on Umar Gul’s fitness to the selectors. Only then can the team management finalize the playing XI. For the last two days, Gul has been bowling flat out in the nets without any problems. During an indoor practice session in a training centre at Lord’s, Gul has bowled lengthy spells of almost ninety minutes without any problem. During these sessions, he was found sharing tips with Wahab Riaz, the guy who replaced Gul successfully in the third test by claiming six wickets in the match.
Gul would not be worried about facing any sort of competition for a place in the playing eleven at Lord’s. His remarkable performance at Edgbaston is there for everyone to see where he complimented his match haul of 4-102 with 65 runs and remained http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755’s top scorer in the match. After bowling 9 wicket-less overs in the first innings at Edgbaston, Gul was forced to go off the field. However, the pacer came out with a runner and blazed with the bat to augment his side’s lead with a 10th wicket stand of 27 runs with Mohammad Asif.
Meanwhile, manager Yawar Saeed has revealed that Umar Gul’s comeback at Lord’s is uncertain. However, the manager did confirm about his presence in the upcoming five match ODI series against England.
"He has recovered well and looks certain to play in the one-day series next month. But we will know in next 24 hours if he can also be fit for the fourth Test as well," said Saeed while talking to the media.
The team manager further added that the pacer has shown speedy progress and would go through fresh MRI scans and fitness tests to divulge the actual status of his injury.
Pakistan head coach Waqar Younis was also positive about the pacer but remained reserved about his availability for the Lord’s Test as he said, "we will have to see tomorrow and then decide."
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